February 11, 2002 | Read Time: 2 minutes
Q. I want to get more meaning from my work and use the skills I have developed in the for-profit world over the last 13 years to make a difference. What is the best way to go from the for-profit world to the nonprofit one? And what is the best way to find a listing of nonprofit organizations in my native Seattle area where I might be able to volunteer?
A. You’re starting out on the right path already. One of the best ways to make that transition is to establish yourself as a committed volunteer, says Terrie Temkin, president of NonProfit Management Solutions, a Hollywood, Fla., consulting company that provides coaching for people who want to leave the for-profit world and enter the nonprofit one. While volunteering gets you used to working in the collaborative culture of charities, it also will help you when you’re searching for a paying position, says Ms. Temkin. You will learn how to cast your useful for-profit experience in a way that will pique the interest of nonprofit recruiters, she says. For instance, when you’re describing your experience in the for-profit world as a facilities manager, you’d want to stress that your commitment to maintenance will enable the organization to spend less on operations, and more on programs.
There are several ways to find places to donate your time and talents. The National Council of Nonprofits (see Web address above) can links to state associations that can provide guidance. You might also want to try the following sites that put volunteers and charities together:
Volunteer Match. Go to http://www.volunteermatch.org
The Points of Light Foundation. Go to http://www.volunteerconnections.org/VCP_volunteercentermap.cfm
Idealist.org. http://www.idealist.org
A series of articles about preparing to volunteer can be found at http://www.ServiceLeader.org, a project of the RGK Center for Philanthropy and Community Service at the University of Texas at Austin. When you’re ready to look for a paying position, check out “Job Searching,” an article by Mary Stewart Hall, a professor at Seattle University’s Center for Nonprofit and Social Enterprise Management, on the university’s Not-for-Profit Leadership Program’s Web site. It’s full of specific tips to finding a charity job in Washington State, and links to nonprofit employment listings in your area.
